Six Flags now lets guests finance a season pass, or any online order of $49 or more, through Flex Pay by Upgrade. It is presented as a way to spread a pass into monthly payments, and it is a loan from an outside lender, with a credit check, an 18-and-over requirement, a possible down payment, and an APR from 0% to 36% depending on the borrower. For a company this cash-constrained, the move makes sense: Six Flags gets paid up front, the lender carries the risk, and no internal department has to exist. The program helps most the people who need it least, since guests who cannot buy a pass outright are the ones who draw the highest rates.
A day later, Six Flags said it acquired ArieForce One, the Rocky Mountain Construction coaster that closed August 2 when Fun Spot shut its Atlanta park, and will reopen it at an undisclosed park in the 2028 to 2029 seasons. No price, no timeline, but the name stays. A used coaster costs a fraction of a new one even after teardown and transport.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi named its three Harry Potter lands: Diagon Alley, Hogwarts Castle, and the Forbidden Forest, the first Potter lands outside a Universal park and the first built by the company that owns the IP. Whatever the online reaction to the region, this is a good sign for anyone in the industry. New immersive builds with real show control mean work; Warner Bros. has run physical experiences since the London studio tour, and Miral knows how to run a theme park.
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